Brandon D. Reid
Writing has always been a part of me: I stayed up past my bedtime to write using the hallway light; I would write short stories for my family; and I even wrote a 30-page picture book in Grade Three. I became interested in filmmaking in high school, and knew I wanted to pursue that in University. During that time, I took on a bunch of roles, but none of them really made me happy.
Screenwriting, though, has a different level of freedom in that it’s my choice on, not only what story to tell, but how I can tell it. I can choose the subject matter and the themes or morals that I want, and I can choose to be as subtle, overt, graphic, or subdued as I want. So, the simplest answer is that screenwriting makes me happy and that’s why I keep coming back to it.
I’ve learned, through much experimentation, that I’m the kind of person who needs to plan everything out before I start writing. It just makes the process a lot easier for me. So, before I even open my writing program, I try to have a concrete idea of the theme, the characters and how their backstories and motivations relate to each other, the plot, and even some symbolism and foreshadowing. This can be challenging since I’ve had to rework ideas throughout the process, but once I’ve got a thorough beat sheet, I just start writing.
The first draft then gets put aside for a while, so I can come back to it later with fresh eyes. I’ve found that it makes seeing where improvements are needed easier. I then rework everything before I start the second draft.
Rinse and repeat until complete.
I’ve never found there to be a shortage of inspiration in my life. Personal stories and experiences definitely form the basis for how I build my characters, but coming up with the ideas for scenarios can sometimes come from necessity. For instance, in “The Campground,” there’s a barrier of fog that keeps the characters trapped there. The reason that exists is because any rational person would take one look at the horror setting and flee, so I needed something to keep them there so the plot could happen.
Usually, the ideas that I pursue are those that excite me; that are fun to do. I’ve written dramatic scripts based on feelings that resonate with me on a personal level or are things that I want to work through. But when it comes to horror, I’ve just loved that genre since I was thirteen, and I’ve always enjoyed writing it. So, if I think it scares me or could make for a scary film, that’s usually the idea that I choose to develop.
Honestly, it has to be “The Campground.” Surface level, it is my most awarded script. Underneath that, though, is that this was also the first feature script that I wrote for myself, without the aid of my professors or classmates, which felt like taking my training wheels off, so that was very rewarding. I also loved working on the characters over a year before I started writing it, and the praise that I’ve gotten for them has been very validating. But I think the biggest thing for me is it was the first pure-horror feature length script I wrote, which was more in line with my professional goals and its continual success brings me that much closer to my dreams.
Right now, my biggest challenge can be believing in myself. When pursuing a career in art, you will face a lot of rejection, and it can be hard to keep a positive attitude about yourself when you experience that frequently enough. The urge to give up can be very strong.
But, for me at least, giving up isn’t an option. I have experienced the shame of having given up before and I can confirm that rejection is not nearly as bad as that feeling. So, I just remind myself that it’s better to learn from failure than be defeated by it.
There are countless stories of films getting rejected by other studios long before they find the one that believes in them. But if they had just given up after that first rejection, we wouldn’t have some of our most beloved films. People think that failure is the end, but I prefer to think of it as a learning opportunity.
Uniqueness.
We all know the criticism that there’s nothing new in Hollywood, but the truth is that if you stripped every movie down to its essentials, there wouldn’t be a ton of variety. The example that I use is Cars and Thor, which have similar story beats: an arrogant man gets stuck in a small town over a long weekend and learns humility before returning to his former glory and being more compassionate. But the way in which those movies tackle the same story differs, leading to two different experiences.
It hearkens back to that infamous idiom: “give me the same thing, only different.” So, I think even if you’ve got a plot that’s been done before, it’ll be ignored if you have something that makes it unique.
Since my specialty is horror, I always try to incorporate characters dealing with their fears. Particularly, internal, emotional fears because those are less difficult to get rid of and much more fun to write. Feelings such as guilt and loss are very prevalent in my work, and I do often lean into my more nihilistic viewpoints and force my characters who love control to live in a world of chaos.
Some of the lessons I’ve taken from my favourite horror films is that the monster or the killer is a plot device to force the character to face their personal demons, so I do find myself including those aspects as well. Most of the time, I make the answer “self-love” or “forgiveness,” resulting in story that is paradoxically optimistic and pessimistic at the same, which I find interesting to write.
With franchises continuing to make money, I think newer and younger filmmakers are going to be able to add to their favourite fandoms and evolve those stories beyond what’s been set before. With that said, I do think that franchise fatigue is a growing concern, and this will maybe give way to more original content being viewed.
The benefit of being a writer is that I can write for either outcome. I’d love to have the opportunity to add to my fandoms, but I’d also love to see my original work out there, too. So I’m excited to see which route the future takes and am preparing for either eventuality.
I speak from experience when I say that every artist should remember that they are not, nor do they need to be perfect. Your art is never going to be flawless and if you’re afraid of the critics or even the rejection, remember that art is subjective; what one person thinks is bad may not be true for the next person. It’s too easy to get stuck on a project because you’re too focused on making something great that you’re not making any progress.
Don’t strive so hard for perfection that you forget to create.
This summer, I’ll be writing a new horror feature that’s more intimate and low-budget, so it’s more realistic to pitch to a studio for a first sale. But I’ve heard that it’s not wise to pitch without backup options, so I’ll be taking three of my pre-existing scripts (and the one I’m currently writing) and reworking them throughout 2026, with the expectation to pitch them to studios in 2027. This also means that I’m going to be looking at getting representation so I can get my foot in the door and get started on my career.